King Salman Royal Natural Reserve Embarks on Planting Half a Million Trees in 2022

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
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King Salman Royal Natural Reserve Embarks on Planting Half a Million Trees in 2022

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)

The King Salman Royal Natural Reserve (KSRNR) started planting 500,000 tree seedlings in the reserve in March. The initiative was kicked off in cooperation with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The operation began in mid-March with the planting of 400,000 seedlings in Jubbah and 100,000 in Al-Tubayq.

It will be implemented in two stages until the end of November 2022, while irrigation and care services will continue until 2024.

The afforestation project is part of an agreement between KSRNR and the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification. It aims to increase the green area, reduce desertification, restore biodiversity in natural environments, and improve the quality of life, to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.

KSRNR also signed a contract to plant 100,000 seedlings in the Al-Tubayq region this year, including care work and irrigation services.

The tree planting efforts coincide with Environment Week, which is held annually by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

KSRNR is working on several initiatives in the reserve in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, the universities in Tabuk, Hail, and Al-Jawf, and several voluntary bodies and charities, such as the Green Tabuk Association, the Tabarjal team from the Sidr Al-Jouf Volunteer Association, among others. It aims to achieve the necessary environmental awareness for the local communities.



Prince William and Kate Mark Wedding Anniversary in Scotland

William and Catherine met while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and married at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. (Reuters)
William and Catherine met while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and married at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. (Reuters)
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Prince William and Kate Mark Wedding Anniversary in Scotland

William and Catherine met while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and married at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. (Reuters)
William and Catherine met while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and married at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. (Reuters)

Prince William and wife Catherine will celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary on the Scottish island of Mull on Tuesday, the latest step on the princess's road to recovery from cancer.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed in January she was "in remission", having announced last March she had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of the disease and was undergoing chemotherapy.

She has since returned to frontline public duties, but with a slimmed-down schedule and shorter engagements.

The couple will spend two days touring the western Scottish islands of Mull and Iona, where they will "celebrate and connect with rural island communities", according to their Kensington Palace office.

They will celebrate their anniversary on Mull, the fourth-largest island in Scotland, which has a population of around 3,000 people and is known for its fishing and farming communities.

William and Catherine met while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and married at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, in a ceremony watched by tens of millions around the world.

Since then, the royal family has undergone a tumultuous decade in which Queen Elizabeth II died after a record-breaking 70-year reign and William's father, King Charles III, ascended to the throne.

Charles revealed last year he had been diagnosed with cancer, and is still receiving weekly treatment.

William's brother Harry also dropped a bombshell when he announced in 2020 that he was quitting the family. He now lives in the United States with wife Meghan.

All of which drama should be a long way from the tranquility of rural Scotland, where the royal couple will arrive on Tuesday for a two-day trip.

William and Catherine will spend time with members of the local communities "reflecting on the power of social connection and the importance of protecting and championing the natural environment" -- two subjects close to both their hearts, said Kensington Palace.

On arrival, they will visit an artisan market in the Mull town of Tobermory, meeting some of the island's makers and creators before heading to a local croft to learn about sustainable farming and hospitality.

On the second day, the couple will visit an ancient woodland and join a local school group for an outdoor lesson.

They will round the trip off by taking a public ferry to Mull's tiny neighbor Iona, which has a population of around 170 people but receives around 130,000 visitors a year.